The above mentioned retaining walls are secured to the aircraft frame and to the cabin floor or to the floor of the cargo hold, whereby at least one support rail in the floor supports the retaining wall through energy absorbing damper elements.
German Patent (DE-PS) 3,827,281 describes a retaining wall in an aircraft, whereby the retaining wall is secured to the aircraft frame structure through damper means, including at least one damper which is constructed to mechanically take up energy, for example, by deforming, thereby converting the impact energy into heat energy. In the known construction the retaining wall is connected to the damper by means of a pivot joint and the retaining wall itself rests on the floor through a roller.
German Patent (DE-PS) 3,827,278 corresponding to the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,250 (Hararat-Tehrani) discloses a wall construction which is rigidly secured to the aircraft floor and through brackets to the frame structure. The retaining wall of U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,250 also comprises two wall sections spaced from each other and interconnected by friction energy absorbers.
The above described retaining wall structures, especially their means for securing these structures to the aircraft floor, leave room for improvement. More specifically, it is desirable to permit at least one wall section to move, however slightly, relative to the floor before the impact energy is introduced into the floor.